Peter Drucker's Two Strikes,You're Out!

Some jobs are almost impossible to do. Think of @John Boehner, the Speaker of the House. Trying to lead a caucus, against your rival party, why the caucus you lead is trying to destroy you is tough work.

How about the role of a firefighter? You are on call 24/7 to protect the public against any number of tragedies, which also include exposing yourself to a potentially painful and macabre death. Heroic work. 

In a prior post, we talked about the ball turret gunner. To revisit: In this job, you would have likely been encapsulated in this under-airplane bubble during WW2 with nothing but a machine gun and no way out unless someone opened the trap door for you. You got to shoot the enemy and they got to shoot at you too but you couldn't hide, you had to depend on the pilot to keep you safe and your ability to get to the bad guys before they got you...that job will always suck.

In your company there is likely a job that is hard to perform as well as to define. Role definition is key and if you can't do it 5 to 7 bullet points it ensures it will be difficult to both fill and perform. Let’s say you’re faced with the unenviable task of filling a role vacant because some prior exec was shown the door, or decided to cut and run before that happened. You may be tempted to bring in someone based on some prior success the candidate had assuming there will be a reasonable chance of success in your company.

Big mistake.

It will be no surprise to anyone when this executive fails in this role which will most assuredly set your company back. Unfortunately, we get accustomed to fouling off an executive or two and we just move on.

Unacceptable!

Peter Drucker said if two consecutive pros fail at the same job, which he defined as a "widow maker", you must redesign the job or eliminate it altogether. Drucker, the Austrian-born management thinker is often celebrated for his work with the Cleveland Indians in 1986. Here he is credited for turning around the failing team in wins and fan attendance by focusing on the roles in the organization.

Drucker further said you must think about and envision the assignment. The title doesn't define the job. For instance, CTO means nothing. You must think through the assignment. Your definition of what you are trying to accomplish in the assignment will define the job and shape the 3 to 5 candidates you will interview for the role before selecting one. This is key in defining the role correctly, and making the list of expected responsibilities tight and understandable.

Considered controversial, Drucker suggested taking the high road with candidates, ignoring personal and professional failures. Instead he focused on the candidates' accomplishments that she could bring to the table. I grew up in human resources and recruiting specifically. I was trained as a young pro to seek and exploit the failures of the candidate. While I wasn't recruiting senior people at this point in my career, I likely set some people back.

I often say it is the collective knowledge I gained from the work that I tried that did not work out that taught me the most valuable lessons. I hire people who have been fired all the time and only eliminate those who steal or fall under the definition of gross misconduct.

Make sure you define the role correctly and have thought through the assignment before talking to anybody. Combined with hiring from a vast candidate pool of skills and experiences and you should avoid perpetuating the "widow maker".

My best, Chris